Sony faces investors. Is Disney over-apologizing for Jimmy Kimmel?

Jimmy Kimmel

ABC

China is still mad at Jimmy Kimmel.

China is still mad at Jimmy Kimmel. (ABC)

Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before digging out the umbrella and raincoat.

The Skinny: I've lived in Los Angeles on and off for more than 12 years and I'm still amazed that a little rain is the lead story on the news and brings traffic to a grinding halt. Well, if it stops the hundreds of morons I see texting and driving every day, maybe it's not so bad. Thursday's headlines include a preview of Sony's investor day and an analysis of ABC's reaction to Jimmy Kimmel's mess with China.

Daily Dose: Fox Japan, a TV channel in Japan owned by Fox (that should have been self-explanatory but just in case) wants to set a new Guinness World Record for "the longest uninterrupted transmission of a TV series" and will air 234 episodes of "NCIS" from Dec. 29 to January 8. Alas, I can't tell you who holds the old record. I just assume it was TNT with "Law & Order" reruns.

Tough day. Sony is holding an investor conference today on its lot in Culver City. Typically, that's when investors and analysts come hear a company talk about how great it is and why people should buy stock. But Sony is going through tough times and has big cuts planned and has been attacked by investor Daniel Loeb. While Sony's TV unit has a good track record, its movie unit had a tough summer. A preview of the meeting from the Los Angeles Times.

So sad about us. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng Murdoch finalized their divorce Wednesday in a New York courtroom. The brief hearing gave media reporters a chance to put on a different hat and try to find ways to describe the stylish outfit worn by Deng and her expensive purse. At least no punches or pies were thrown. Details from the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

Overreaction? Last month, ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel ran a bit in which a little kid suggested the U.S. kill everyone in China to fix our economy. Naturally, this didn't go over too well in China and Kimmel apologized. Then the bit was scrubbed as best as Disney could in the Internet era and apologized again. But is Disney overdoing it in their reaction, which is driven by protecting their corporate interests in China? The Hollywood Reporter offers some analysis.

A change is gonna come. Media mogul Barry Diller is again out making the case for Aereo, the controversial start-up company that transmits local broadcast signals via the Internet. On Wednesday, Diller said he could see Aereo eventually having 35% of all U.S. TV homes subscribing to it assuming the service survives all the legal challenges against it from big media. Diller also thinks the way TV channels are sold -- in bundles of channels -- will also end soon. More on Diller's thoughts from Bloomberg.

Crazy talk. Outspoken writer Harlan Ellison, whose screenwriting credits include 1966's "The Oscar," lets loose in Variety about why he wants all awards shows to die. I'm sure there will be a few million people out there nodding their heads in agreement.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: The real Philomena Lee talks about the search for her son and the movie it has inspired. Tribune Co., parent of the Los Angeles Times, is cutting 700 jobs from its publishing operations as part of a restructuring.